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Aimee compared Jennifer’s black, Gothic hairstyle with her daughter’s long, natural blond hair worn in a high ponytail. Aimee’s refusal to allow Samantha to wear her hair like Jennifer’s was another recent source of friction between them.
“Don’t you think your mother’s hair looks cool, Sam?”
With a careless shrug of her shoulders, Samantha said, “Kind of. It doesn’t look like you, Mom. Hey, I need snacks and drinks for the sleepover. You can fix me some stuff while I get my things ready. C’mon, Jen. Help me pack.”
Samantha seemed tense, as if she expected Aimee to stop her from going to the sleepover. Aimee was annoyed at her daughter’s demanding attitude. She could have at least said “please.” As she opened the refrigerator door, Aimee wondered what would happen if she did tell Samantha that she couldn’t go. Afraid that her daughter would go anyway, Aimee wasn’t ready to put her to the test.
As she scanned the refrigerator, Aimee knew she should have gone to the grocery store rather than the hairdresser. Well, it was too late now. She didn’t have time to buy groceries and be ready when Erica wanted to leave. She gathered some chips, cookies and pop and put them in a basket.
Samantha’s room was on the ground floor of their split-level home, and Aimee walked to the head of the stairs and called, “Your snacks are ready. You’re welcome.”
Her new clothes lay on the bed, but her daughter’s rotten attitude dimmed Aimee’s pleasure in the beige linen pants and jacket. She put on the loose-fitting pants, pulled a white cotton tee over her head and slipped into the buttonless jacket, which featured white trim on the cuffs and lapel. She searched in her jewelry box and chose a gold chain and matching earrings, a gift from Steve when they’d become engaged. She still missed him.
Glancing in the floor-length mirror, Aimee scrutinized her appearance. She looked okay, but she still wished she hadn’t agreed to go with Erica because she dreaded telling Samantha where she was going. When she heard the girls coming upstairs, Aimee walked into the hallway.
“I’ll be out for a few hours this evening.”
Samantha whirled around and looked at her mother. “Excuse me? Since when do you have somewhere to go on Friday night?” Her long hair was hanging loose now, and with a quick flip of her fingers, Samantha brushed it away from her face.
“Since I decided to go to a meeting with Erica.”
“What kind of meeting?”
Aimee definitely didn’t like her daughter’s attitude now. She should be quizzing Samantha about her evening activities, not the other way around. But she wouldn’t embarrass Samantha by reprimanding her in Jennifer’s presence. Still, she couldn’t tolerate this sort of behavior, and she would deal with it later. With a sinking heart, she wondered what Steve would think if he knew she had allowed their daughter to develop such a belligerent attitude.
As kindly as she could, Aimee said, “It really isn’t any of your business where I’m going.” Although her nerves were on edge, Aimee felt like laughing at the look of disbelief spreading across Samantha’s face.
“What is with you, Mom?” Samantha demanded.
“Nothing is with me. I have a right as an adult to have my own plans, but I don’t mind telling you where I’ll be,” Aimee said tensely. “However, it would have been nice if you’d asked me in a more civil tone. I’m going to a singles meeting at Erica’s church.”
“That’s cool!” Jennifer said. “Go for it, Mrs. B.”
But Aimee could tell by looking at her daughter that she didn’t think it was cool. Was it anger or fear she detected in Samantha’s eyes?
“You’re kidding, right?”
Aimee shook her head. “No. Erica invited me, and since you’re going to be away overnight, I couldn’t see any reason to spend the evening alone. What time will you be home tomorrow?”
“I don’t know,” Samantha said sullenly and picked up the basket of food.
Lifting her perfectly groomed eyebrows, Jennifer glanced sideways at her friend before she said, “I’ve got a dentist appointment at nine o’clock, Mrs. Blake. I’ll drop her off before then.”
Surprisingly, Jennifer was a polite, seemingly well-behaved girl, and Aimee wondered if she had been judging the older girl too harshly based on her looks. She blamed Jennifer for a lot of Samantha’s recent rebellious ways, but perhaps it was time to place the blame squarely on Samantha.
“Thanks,” Aimee said to Jennifer. “Have fun tonight,” she added.
Samantha didn’t answer, but Jennifer said, “That’s a cool outfit, Mrs. Blake. See ya tomorrow.”
Apparently Samantha hadn’t noticed what her mother had on. She turned and assessed Aimee’s new clothes suspiciously, casting another critical glance at her mother before she gave an impatient shrug and tossed her long blond hair defiantly. She left the house without a word and slammed the door behind her.
Aimee dropped into the lounge chair before the window in the family room and covered her face with her hands. She heard the chickadees and nuthatches at the feeder outside the window, but she didn’t look up. Watching the pretty little birds usually lifted her spirits, but not now when her mind reeled with confusion. Soon her confusion turned to anger—not only at Samantha but also at herself. For years she had catered to her daughter’s every whim, so what could she expect?
She clenched her jaw to stop the tears in her heart from reaching her eyes. She would address Samantha’s rebellion later, but she wouldn’t let this evening be ruined. She needed a night out. Later, when she heard Erica’s car horn, Aimee pasted a smile on her face and left the house.
“Well, don’t you look sharp!” Erica exclaimed when Aimee opened the car door and sat beside her. “That’s a beautiful suit.”
Aimee fastened her seat belt, and Erica pulled away from the sidewalk. “I haven’t bought any clothes for months, so I went shopping today,” Aimee said. “How do you like my hair?”
“Gorgeous! It takes years off of your age.” Erica eyed her sharply. “But your eyes are pink. Been crying?”
“You’re too observant,” Aimee answered with a sigh. “Samantha wasn’t happy when she heard where I was going.”
“So…” Erica persisted.
“So I’ve made up my mind to start cutting the apron strings, and I don’t mean to separate Samantha from me. She’s already done that,” Aimee said. “I’m beginning to cut myself loose from her.”
“It won’t be easy,” Erica said sympathetically. “But for your own good, as well as Samantha’s, it’s time. In only a few years, she’ll be off to college.”
“I hope so, but it’s hard. I feel like I haven’t been a good mom, or Samantha wouldn’t be so rebellious.”
“Oh, it isn’t you,” Erica assured her. “It’s part of growing up. Just keep praying for Samantha.”
“Yes, I intend to,” Aimee said, although her prayer life was something else she’d neglected in the past few years.
Twenty minutes later, Erica bypassed the brick church building facing Madison Street and drove to an adjacent one-story metal structure housing a fellowship hall and classrooms.
“Please don’t make a big deal out of my coming to this meeting,” Aimee said. “I may never visit again, so I don’t want to call a lot of attention to myself.”
Erica’s eyebrows arched provocatively.
“I’m serious,” Aimee said.
“I’ll be good,” Erica promised as she got out of the car and walked toward the building. “I’m so happy to see this change in you that I won’t do anything you don’t like.”
Following her, Aimee took a deep breath, suddenly nervous and wishing she had stayed home. As they walked down a short hallway, Aimee lagged behind Erica. Hearing the mingled voices of many people and occasional bursts of laughter, Aimee wondered what she was getting herself into.
“Ready?” Erica asked as they neared a doorway.
Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, Aimee nodded.
Chapter Two
Several times throughout the day Jacob Mallory thought of the secretary he’d met at the elementary school this morning. As he counseled clients at his counseling service, the memory of her sweet, lavender scent nearly distracted him more than once. Aimee Blake, he’d noticed on the nameplate that rested on her desk. Although he’d lived in the small town of Benton for most of his life, he had never met her, which made him wonder if Aimee was new to town.
He worked late and went directly from work to the singles meeting, and as he drove the ten blocks, he thought again of Aimee, the woman with the gleaming dark hair and dark-blue eyes. The long lashes that framed her eyes created a stunning effect offset by her creamy complexion. But he thought he also sensed raw hurt flickering in those blue eyes, and he wondered what had caused her pain.
When he saw Aimee walk into the room with Erica Snyder, Jacob took a deep breath of utter astonishment. Momentarily, he wondered if he was dreaming or wide awake. But when the aromatic scent of lavender wafted toward him, Jacob knew that the woman with Erica was the same one he’d met this morning—the one who had distracted him all day.
When she entered the room with Erica, Aimee saw that it wasn’t as daunting as she’d thought. It had fewer than thirty people, and several strips of fluorescent lights shed light on the area. At one end was a kitchen, separated from the main room by a serving window. A podium and an electric keyboard were located at the opposite end of the room.
Two men stood near the entryway. Something seemed familiar about the muscular shoulders of one of them, and when he turned, Aimee recognized the friendly man she’d met at school earlier in the day. He must have recognized her, too, because he stared at her with a look of surprise. By the time they reached him, an infectious smile that spread to his dark eyes had stretched across his face.
“Well, hello again,” he said.
Surprised at how pleased she was to see him, Aimee returned his smile. “I didn’t expect to see you again, either, at least not so soon.” She felt her face flushing. She hoped her remark didn’t sound as if she’d been thinking about him.
Aimee sensed Erica’s sharp glance. “Say, do you two know each other?”
“Not really,” Aimee said. “We met at school this morning, and we haven’t even been properly introduced.”
“I can take care of that,” Erica said. “Aimee Blake, this is Jacob Mallory.”
“It’s great to see you,” Jacob said, moving closer and extending his hand. “Thanks for being so kind to my friend Alex today. He’s a shy kid.”
She placed her hand in Jacob’s and welcomed the warm pressure of his hand grasping hers. This morning she had assumed he was Alex’s father, but apparently he wasn’t. Then why had he brought the little boy to school?
“I’ll introduce you to the others before the meeting starts,” Erica said, and Aimee and Jacob exchanged polite smiles as she followed Erica. Walking from one group to the other, Erica kept up a low commentary about the people in the room. Aimee was grateful for the information, hoping she would be able to associate names with faces. They finally sat in a row of chairs not far from the podium. Soon, Jacob stopped beside Aimee and Erica.
“Hi, is it okay if I sit with you?”
“Sure,” Erica said. “I have to help set up the stage for our musicians when they get here. You can visit with Aimee while I’m doing that.”
As Jacob took the chair to her right, Aimee sensed that Erica wasn’t too excited about his sitting with them. She slanted a curious glance toward Erica but couldn’t read her expression. For months, Erica had been trying to get Aimee “out of her shell,” as she often described it, and Aimee would have thought Erica would be pleased to have Jacob Mallory befriending her. But Erica evidently wasn’t keen on leaving her in Jacob’s company, and Aimee couldn’t imagine why.
In Aimee’s opinion, Jacob seemed like a really nice guy—and he wasn’t bad to look at either. Again, she noted the tall, well-built man’s thick, brown hair and dark brown eyes. His chiseled face was lean with a well-proportioned nose and a large, shapely mouth. Even more important than his physical appearance, he appeared to have a genuine interest in the people around him that instantly put Aimee at ease.
“Have you and Erica just met?” he asked.
“No. We’ve been neighbors for several years.”
“I can’t believe she’s waited this long to bring you to our meetings,” Jacob commented.
“Oh, she’s invited me lots of times,” Aimee answered, “but I’ve always refused.”
Jacob’s brows lifted inquiringly, but Aimee didn’t feel like explaining her lack of interest in a singles group. When she remained silent, he said, “Tell me about yourself, Aimee.”
Grimacing, she said, “I’m a widow with a fourteen-year-old daughter, going on twenty.”
Jacob chuckled as if he understood what she meant, and Aimee added, “Samantha is spending the night at a friend’s, so when Erica invited me to this meeting, I came as her guest. I don’t intend to join the group.”
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,” Jacob suggested.
“Probably, but my main job is being a mother. I started working at Eastside Elementary years ago when Samantha started there, so my job and being a single mom keep me plenty busy. How about you? Are you a native of Benton?”
“Except for four years in college and a few years at a job in the eastern part of Virginia, I’ve always lived in Benton. I’m a professional counselor. I moved back home when I had the opportunity to buy a counseling service here.”
“I assumed that Alex your son,” Aimee commented.
“I don’t have many relatives,” Jacob said, his smile vanishing as he looked slightly disturbed, slightly wistful. “Alex is just a boy I’m trying to help. He’s been sick and had to miss several days of school. His mother is ill, too, and she asked me to take him back to school and explain his absence. I met him through Substitute Siblings.”
“Substitute Siblings?”
“It’s a fairly new organization,” Jacob explained. “In my line of work, I see a lot of children from dysfunctional families who are growing up without much love or guidance. The goal of Substitute Siblings is to pair these children with older adults who will be buddies to them.”
“Sort of like the Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteers?” Aimee asked.
“Similar to that,” Jacob said. “And because there wasn’t a branch of that organization in Benton, my grandmother and I decided to start something. In a few cases our volunteers take the children into their homes on a temporary basis, but mostly they just befriend them by taking them shopping, to ball games, to movies or to other activities to make them feel wanted.”
The chairman of the group rapped for attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to start our meeting. Let’s come to order, please.”
“It sounds like a worthwhile cause,” Aimee whispered.
“I think so,” Jacob answered. “If you’re interested, I’d like to talk with you further about it.”
“I’m interested.”
Aimee tore a sheet from the notebook she carried in her purse and wrote her phone number and address on it. She handed the paper to Jacob. He folded it and put it in his pocket as they turned their attention to the entertainment for the evening—a band that played popular praise and worship songs.
Aimee enjoyed the music, but throughout the program, she kept thinking about the man sitting next to her. He said he didn’t have many relatives. Did that mean his parents weren’t living, or did they live elsewhere? And why had her question about family disturbed him?
But she was more puzzled that she hadn’t heard of Jacob before this. She judged that he was about her age, and if he had lived in Benton most of his life, why hadn’t she met him? Until her marriage she had lived a few miles outside of Benton, but she’d attended school in town. Benton wasn’t big enough for their paths not to have crossed before.
When the meeting adjourned, Jacob stood, turned to Aimee and smiled. “Is it all right if I call you later?”
“Sure,” she said as Erica nudged Aimee and nodded toward the door.
As they said their goodbyes, several people invited Aimee to become a part of the group. Although she’d enjoyed the evening, she wasn’t ready to commit to anything. Besides, she wasn’t sure how she would feel about regularly seeing Jacob Mallory. His presence kindled feelings she hadn’t experienced for a long time—emotions that she didn’t welcome. The less she saw of him the better off she would be.
“Did you have a good time?” Erica asked as she drove away from the church.
“To my surprise, I really did. Thanks for inviting me.”
“You’re welcome,” Erica said tersely.
Aimee shot a surprised glance in her friend’s direction. “What’s the matter with you? I thought you wanted me to break out of my shell, try my wings and all that other advice you’ve handed out.”
“My advice was good, but my plan backfired,” Erica said wryly. “You picked up the wrong man.”
“Jacob Mallory is the wrong man?” Aimee stammered, shocked by Erica’s words. “Besides, I didn’t pick him up—you introduced him to me. Regardless of that, I thought he was a really nice guy.”
“He is, but I hoped you would find someone and form a permanent relationship. There are two or three men in our group who would like to get married if they could find the right woman,” Erica insisted.
“That still doesn’t explain why you object to Jacob,” Aimee exclaimed, puzzled. “I just sat next to the man and talked with him—that’s hardly a prelude to matrimony. What’s wrong with him? Who is he, anyway?”
Erica pulled into Aimee’s driveway and turned off the car’s engine. “Jacob Mallory dates women occasionally, but if they start getting serious, he doesn’t call them anymore. He apparently isn’t interested in a long-term commitment.”
“So what. Neither am I. Besides, he didn’t even ask me for a date.”
